A Curious Tale She Wrote
by Nefereu
Summary: The theft of valuable manuscripts and a case of mistaken identity lead to the arrival of an unusual and unexpected visitor Below. But when a hidden connection to the Tunnels from her past is discovered, the events that unfold are truly shocking . Can Devin, catherine and Vincent unravel this mystery and solve the crime in time before the consequences turn deadly?
1. Chapter 1

A Most Curious Tale She Wrote

Chapter 1

Still at her desk, Catherine frowned as she stared down at the inflammatory headlines. It seemed this paper in particular had no intention of letting go of this story. " Insurance Company To Offer Substantial Reward in Daring Manuscript Robbery; NY Finest Still Clueless."

She knew most of the details, of course, since the theft had dominated the news for nearly two weeks. The owner of a major publishing company had organized a viewing of rare manuscripts loaned by some of its authors as both a publicity and charity event at a local gallery. The highlight of the event was to be the owner's prize possession, a genuine and complete "First Folio" by William Shakespeare, one of only a few known outside of a museum and reputed to be worth several million dollars.

But the showing had never occurred. Somehow, someone had broken into the gallery the night before and made off with several of the manuscripts including the "First Folio". Despite a state of the art alarm system and extra security, the thief or thieves had slipped in completely undetected, leaving the crime undiscovered until the gallery opened the next day. It certainly hadn't helped matters that an intense police investigation failed to turn up a single clue. It was no wonder the press was still talking about it.

When the phone next to her rang, she grabbed it and answered instantly. "Catherine Chandler."

"Hey, Radcliff! How are things going now that you've moved up in the world?"

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Hello, Joe. Things are fine, just like I told you last week at lunch and I would hardly call moving to an office on the next floor moving up in the world."

"Yeah, well, I'm still happy you made the move, Cathy."

"So am I, Joe. It was time for a change." She smiled unconsciously.

"Listen, you think you can stop by here on your way out? I got one heck of a surprise for you. I think you'll get a real kick out of it."

"I'd be glad to. I'm just finishing up now. I should be down in a few minutes."

"Geez, you money types really do keep banking hours!" he teased good naturedly.

"Goodbye, Joe." Catherine replied pointedly as she hung up the phone; yet the smile never left her lips.

Catherine looked up from the pile of papers on her desk at the clock on the wall and gave a sigh of relief. It was five thirty on a Friday and she had plans to spend the entire weekend Below, hopefully most of it in Vincent's company. As she loaded a few papers she needed for that weekend into her briefcase, she made her way down to Joe's office. As she did, she couldn't help thanking her lucky stars for the change she'd made two months before.

After the illness that had almost cost Vincent his life, Catherine was determined to do whatever was necessary to keep herself and the man she loved out of harm's way, even if it meant resigning from the District Attorney's office. But, when she informed her boss and mentor Joe Maxwell of her decision, he countered with an intriguing proposal. A position had recently opened up in the D.A.'s banking and tax fraud department. Though vital, the unit was perpetually understaffed since most young lawyers preferred other departments with higher profile cases guaranteed to get them the most court experience. Catherine put in her request of transfer that very day.

To her surprise, she found the job quite to her liking. The staff were friendly and grateful to have someone with Catherine's background in corporate and business law. She still investigated and prosecuted cases, but now her days were spent poring over spreadsheets and forensic accounting ledgers, not autopsy reports and crime scene photos. Though mostly a desk job, her new position still allowed her to feel she was helping others while avoiding the dangers of prosecuting violent offenders.

Looking around, Catherine realized she was the last to leave the office one again. Joe had been right about one thing. Their office did tend to shut down operations Fridays fairly early compared to Catherine's previous one. Since most companies and banks called it quits on Friday as well, there wasn't much they could get done after 5 anyway.

It wasn't long before she found herself back in a familiar setting. Mike Walters, an old law school buddy of Joe's, now occupied her old desk. Ambitious and eager to make a name for himself, he'd been the perfect person to replace her.

"Hi, Mike. How are things going?" she greeted him. "Is Joe, the slave driver, in his office?"

Mike looked up from the file on his desk with a grin. "It's going great, thanks and yes, his lordship is in. He's expecting you."

Catherine opened the door to Joe's office and was about to greet her longtime friend when she noticed another person in the room turned away from her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Joe. I didn't realize you were with someone. I'll wait outside."

The grin on Joe's face though made her pause. He was entirely too pleased with himself. "That's ok, Cathy. He's the reason I called you." With those words, the man turned around and Catherine gave a gasp as she took in the familiar face with its distinctive scars. "This is D.W. Wells, an insurance investigator. He's working that big manuscript theft."

Devin's grin reminded Catherine of the Cheshire cat. "We've already met, haven't we? It's nice to see you again, Chandler."

Catherine was so stunned she was momentarily speechless. Fortunately, Joe seemed oblivious. He was far too busy laughing at her. "Boy, Cathy, I wish you could see the look on your face! We sure got you good. What did I tell you, D. W.? "

"Yep, you were right. Looks like I owe you that beer."

"Hey, it was worth it. I finally put one over on the great Catherine Chandler!" Joe came out from behind his desk and put an arm around her companionably. "Take it easy, Radcliff. D. W.'s boss called me earlier this week and explained all about that Jeff Radler business. I always wondered why you insisted on filing that brief you two worked on under your name. Now I know. D.W here has just been filling me in on how you blew his cover when you figured out he was only a paralegal, not a real lawyer."

"That must have been some story!" She snapped, unable to keep the irritation from her voice now that the shock had passed.

"Oh, it was!" Joe gloated as he slapped Devin on the back like they were old friends. Poor Catherine could only grind her teeth in frustration.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Later, she and Devin shared a cup of coffee on the sofa in her apartment. "Thanks, Chandler. I could really use this. I love Pop and everything, but sometimes he goes overboard with all that British tea and crumpets stuff! I'm an old fashioned cup of "joe" guy myself."

"Speaking of Joe…" Catherine shot him a pointed look.

He had the good sense to look sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about that. It was Joe's idea to ambush you not mine."

"But that still doesn't explain why you're pretending to be an insurance claims investigator." She commented.

"Actually, I'm not pretending. I really am working now as an insurance investigator. I only went to see Joe because I knew we might meet up since I'm working this manuscript robbery. Luckily, my boss was willing to help me out and cover for me about the last time when I was pretending to be Jeff."

"An insurance claims investigator? I never saw you as the corporate type, Devin."

"I'm not. I'm more like a consultant. I work for a man named Dennis Stanton. He runs an agency that specializes in investigating claims on behalf of the big insurance companies."

"That's quite a change. The last I heard, you and Charles had decided to settle down for a while in some little town up in Maine. What changed?"

"Oh, Charles is still there living in Cabot Cove with a friend. Something happened, though, that made me realize maybe it was time I thought about spending more time closer to my family. That's part of the reason why I'm here, to apologize. I know I let you and Pop down by not being there for you both when Vincent got sick."

"Devin, you don't have to explain." She rushed to reassure him, but he interrupted.

"Yes, I do. It's not much of an excuse but the problem was I couldn't have come home if I wanted. I was in jail at the time, accused of murder." He continued mildly.

"Murder?! That's ridiculous!" Devin grinned at the look of sheer outrage on his companion's face. In spite of knowing about his dubious past, even she knew he was incapable of senseless violence.

"Yes. Unfortunately, the local Sheriff didn't agree with you. Now it all sounds like something out of a bad mystery movie, but at the time it wasn't very funny. We stumbled on this great little place on the coast near Cabot Cove. It wasn't much, just a ramshackle little cabin out in the middle of the wilderness. But for us it was perfect; no nosy neighbors or prying eyes to make Charles feel uncomfortable and plenty of space for him to enjoy nature. I got in touch with the agent handling the property and purchased it right away. Unfortunately, I didn't know what I was getting myself into."

Catherine sat next to him, a captive audience, as the rest of the tale unfolded. The agent, a young man, was new in Cabot Cove and only recently hired while the owner of the company was on vacation. The cabin had been his first real sale and he was very happy. His new employer, however, was not. The agency owner, it turned out, was oddly angry that the property sold and tried unsuccessfully to repurchase it. Naturally, Devin refused no matter how much he was offered since the property provided a perfect haven for Charles who was recovering from pneumonia. The owner, though, refused to give up. Their discussion in the real estate office became quite heated at one point and even degenerated into threats that were definitely noticed by the town residents. Yet, when a week passed and Devin heard no more from the man, he thought the matter was over. He was wrong.

Two days later, the local sheriff arrived at the cabin with a warrant for Devin's arrest. An anonymous tip led the discovery of the younger real estate agent's body a short distance away. That same tip also led to the murder weapon hidden in Devin's jeep. It seemed an airtight case.

"Omigod!" Catherine exclaimed. "Someone framed you!"

"Three guesses who did it." Devin joked.

"The real estate agency owner!" Catherine deduced, her investigator's instinct kicking in.

"Got it right in one! Turns out the guy bumped off his old partner a few years back over a business deal and then hid the body on the property. He covered his tracks by listing it for sale under a fictitious name. The cabin was so remote and rundown, he figured nobody would ever buy it. That's why when he found out it sold, he panicked."

"But what happened next? How in the world did you ever clear yourself?"

"I didn't. I have Charles and Jessica Fletcher to thank for that. Jessica is a famous mystery writer who lives in Cabot Cove. She and I met a few times in town but I didn't really know her. Still, she didn't think I was capable of murder and she set out to prove it. She met Charles when she came out to the cabin snooping around. Though he didn't tell me, she was the reason he was so keen to visit Maine. He's been a fan of her books for years."

"For heaven's sake, Devin, why didn't you call me? I could have helped you!" Catherine protested.

"I know you would have, but it wasn't necessary. With Charles' help, Jessica figured out what really happened and tricked the guy into confessing in front of the sheriff. Besides from what I hear, you had your hands full with Vincent and Father."

Devin expression grew serious as he sat up straighter and turned to fully face her. "Listen, Catherine, Peter told me how you risked your own life to bring Vincent out of that cave alive and helped Pop take care of him while he recovered. I know I can never repay you for what you did for them both. You were there for them when I should have been." She shook her head in denial, but he rushed on before she could speak.

"Those two weeks in that cell gave me a lot of time to think, mostly about myself and the way I've lived. I came to a few conclusions, not all of them pleasant. The truth is I've spent so much time pretending to be someone else and hiding from my past that I nearly lost sight of the real me. At first, that really upset me; but Jessica helped me to understand that it was what I did with that knowledge that was most important. It was then that I knew I needed to come back to New York; to be close to Pop and Vincent. Jessica was nice enough to introduce me to her friend, Dennis who runs the investigations agency. He took a liking to me and gave me a job where I can put my unusual skills to some good use."

"She sounds like a remarkable person."

"Oh, she is! She and Charles hit it off right away too. He's even helping her with her next book; it takes place in a carnival sideshow."

"You say her name is Fletcher? That sounds familiar." Catherine observed.

Devin suddenly grinned. "You probably know her by her pen name, J. B. Fletcher. And yes, I mean THE J.B. Fletcher!"

Catherine's mouth dropped open in shock. "I've read some of her books. She's very good! I think she writes for the publisher Jenny works for." She frowned as she recalled another detail. "Wasn't one of her manuscripts stolen in the robbery?"

"Yes, that's also part of why I'm here. She asked Dennis and me to help recover it. It's not nearly as valuable as some of the others but it was a wedding gift to her from some deceased relative and has a lot of sentimental value. Since the company insuring the Shakespeare "First Folio" hired us to look into the crime as well, we thought we could do both."

Looking up, Catherine was surprised to see that they had been talking for over two hours. "Oh no! I'm late! I told Vincent I'd come Below by dinner time." Hurriedly, she jumped up and disappeared into the bathroom, only to return moments later, casually dressed with a suitcase in her hand.

"Moving, Chandler?" He joked as he got to his feet to join her.

"No, just staying the weekend. It's not the first time either." She added, lifting her chin in challenge.

Devin laughed in reply. "Way to go, counselor! I Does this mean you and Vincent are…?" His voice trailed off as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Catherine tried to give Devin her best quelling stare but it was hard as she struggled to keep from smiling. She knew from experience there was no malice in his innuendo, only good humor.

"I'll tell you what I told Father. What Vincent and I "are or aren't" is no one's business but ours, thank you very much! We are both grown adults and what happens between us is our decision! Now, are you going to stand there talking all night or are we going to head Below?"

Devin made a sweeping bow in reply. "As you wish, milady! I am at your service."

Catherine took the arm he offered her as they headed for the door. Something told her it was going to be an eventful weekend.


End file.
